Opsun partnered with Scalo Solar Solutions to develop the largest solar system in Western Pennsylvania. The project required to fit 4968 PVs on an existing abandoned steel mill, in order to transform it into a novel manufacturing facility associated with the University Carnegie Mellon. Project management required a structure that could be built on the ground, and then craned up onto the roof, to minimize labor.
Opsun's engineers had to study all the steel beams of the structure, and devised 13 different sub-arrays, each matching different roof H-Beams profile and position. Over 50 pages of custom plans were crafted to show in detail where each different section of the PV structure was meant to go, saving tremendous time to the installation team (Opsun's Total Engineering™ process aims at finding solutions to all anticipated challenges before getting on site, allowing for an effective work load planning).
Racking structure sections of 9 panels were then built on the ground and craned into the air with suction cups, and locked onto existing H-beam structure using Opsun's proprietary HBC clamp, that allows a quick and simple connection to existing steel beams' flange. Instead of expensive and difficult to install U-bolts going around the H-Beams, a simple aluminum clamp is fixed on the flange of the H-Beams.
The result is a custom, super solid unique structure, fixed on existing steel beams, fully optimized for bifacial PVs (no aluminum racking obstruction under the PVs). Installation time was dramatically reduced as a direct result of the collaboration with Opsun, since we tailored a solution adapted to the specific requirements of this project.